Tamil Nadu to establish Fifth elephant reserve at Agasthiyamalai

Chennai: On the occasion of World Elephant Day on Friday, the centre has announced the establishment of another elephant reserve at Agasthiyamalai. This reserve will be the 32nd elephant reserve in the country and the fifth in Tamil Nadu. It will be adding 1,197 sq km of area dedicated to elephant conservation, as reported by the Times of India.

Chief minister M K Stalin welcomed the move and emphasized on the important role that the jumbos play in balancing the forest ecosystem. He also said that these majestic mammals must be conserved at all costs. The new reserve at Agasthyamalai will encompass reserve forests and patta lands in Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Tenkasi districts, reported the Times of India.

According to district forest officer Shenbagapriya the new elephant reserve will now help the state to procure funds allocated under central schemes such as 'project elephant' that provide Rs 1 crore per year for elephant conservation measures, reported the Times of India.

Forest officials intend to use the funds for setting up anti-poaching units, employing more watchers, setting up solar fences, digging up trenches and for other mitigation measures which would help reduce man-animal conflict in the state, reported the Times of India.

State environment secretary Supriya Sahu tweeted, "This is one of the most significant milestones in conservation efforts for elephants,", reported the Times of India.

Earlier this year, experts from the Forest College and Research Institute in Mettupalayam have told a committee that was constituted to probe the reasons behind the death of wild elephants in Tamil Nadu that 130 elephants may die in the state this year and their population may have increased by 800 when compared to the last census in 2017, as reported by the Hindu.